Residents of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk have lashed out at troops entering the city’s streets with outrage and insults. The soldiers were supposed to be "liberating the people from pro-Russian terrorists,” according to the Kiev government.

The ongoing military crackdown on anti-government activists in
eastern Ukraine has been portrayed as a noble quest of freeing
the locals “kept hostage” by the so-called
“terrorists” and “separatists.” Coup-imposed
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov recently branded the
campaign “an anti-terrorist operation against the sabotage
group of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian
Federation” on his Facebook page.

Curiously, however, eastern Ukrainians “liberated” by
the Kiev troops have not at all been grateful for the armored
vehicles roaming through their cities and military men with and
without insignia shooting at supporters of the self-proclaimed
Donetsk Republic. Dozens of armed self-defense activists and
unarmed civilians supporting them have reportedly been injured or
killed since the start of the military operation in the Donetsk
Region, where many people have openly rallied in favor of a
referendum on autonomy from Kiev.

In the city of Kramatorsk, which for weeks has been an active
stronghold of anti-government sentiments, locals took to the
streets after Ukrainian troops arrived on APCs and forced
self-defense troops to a small cluster in the central square.

Defiant of the armed vehicles and sniper rifles pointed at them, residents were filmed
approaching the troops to have their say.

“Fascists! Fascists!” the locals chanted, casting
insults on the troops and the Kiev government. Kiev authorities
are commonly referred to as the “fascist junta” in the
east of the country, because of their takeover of power in
February and the government's alliance with nationalists –
including the notorious Right Sector radical group.

“What kind of law and order are you bringing here?! We are
the f*****g residents of the Donetsk Region, not you!” one
man shouted. Many of the soldiers interviewed by RT stringer
Graham Phillips revealed they had come from western Ukrainian
regions, including Lvov and Ivano-Frankovsk. Kiev has been
apparently relying on regional and ethnic differences in Ukraine
while launching the military action, as a large part of eastern
Ukrainian armed forces and police have been unwilling
“to fire at our own people.”

The crowd in Kramatorsk grew even angrier as one of the Ukrainian
APCs rammed a road sign, bringing it down.

“Get back to Kiev! You are not welcome here! Get out! It is
our land!” residents shouted.

The troops could then be seen suddenly mounting the APCs and
leaving the area. The crowd rushed to chase them, shouting
“Donbass! Donbass! Glory to Donbass!”.

The historical Russian region, which spans through several modern
eastern Ukrainian regions and is commonly associated with its
mining industry and metallurgy, Donbass became part of the
Ukrainian SSR at the beginning of the Soviet era, but has
nevertheless retained a strong local identity.

According to a common stereotype, most residents of the
strongly-industrial region believe they are the real breadwinners
of Ukraine, “feeding” the western part of the country. The notion
is ridiculed by western Ukrainians, some of whom call residents
of Donetsk Region “ignorant” and “brainwashed”
people.

Now many of the locals are rejecting the rule of the coup-imposed
Kiev government, which is dominated by parties relying on popular
support in western and, to a lesser extent, central Ukraine. The
fact that much of the eastern population is Russian-speaking and
has cultural and family ties with Russia has been used for
delegitimizing the popular protests as “pro-Russian
insurgency” in Ukrainian and Western media. However, despite
accusations of “separatism,” most people protesting in
eastern Ukraine have been preaching for the federalization of the
country and for an autonomous rule – not for joining Russia.

At least six people have been killed and 15 injured since the
start of the Kiev military operation in Kramatorsk on Friday,
according to Donetsk Regional Administration. The local
self-defense unit contradicts the official count, saying that 10
people were killed in fighting overnight and at least two others
were shot by government snipers during street battles on
Saturday.